Wonders: Another BenXGwen novel
by Leon Woon
Summary: What happens when the hormonal rages of teen-hood engulfed our 2 favorite cousins? Will they ignore it, or give in to the sweet temptation that is love?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Here it is guys! Now since the Ben10 Universe has many AUs, I'm making yet another one, this time with both our beloved green-eyed cousins being 13. Enjoy!

**Prelude**

This was the stupidest thing he'd have ever done.

"Hurry up, Dwight! The cops are comin'!"

Damn. "I'm comin'! I'm comin!" the masked man named Dwight said as he jumped into the back seat of the red Impala.

"Floor it!" Larry, who was in the front passenger seat yelled as he un-locked the safety to his prized possession, his Ak-47.

The red car screamed into action as it sped as fast as it could from the bank that the 3 men just happily pilfered almost every penny from.

"Man, are they here yet?" the driver, Mater, asked as he ran through a red light.

Dwight took one look out the back window. There was no distinct blue patrol car or the dreadful blare of a police siren, so they were safe, for now.

"We're clear," he confirmed as he laid back against the seat.

"How much did we snatch altogether?" Larry asked.

"I dunno. Close to a million, I guess. I've got a bag of gold bars from the vault earlier," Mater said as he pulled off a rather daring curve.

"That's not much…" Dwight commented.

"Bah, that's enough to get us through for awhile," Mater said as he looked at the side mirror.

"Hey, what's that?"

Dwight took one look behind and yelped.

A blue streak passed above the back window and above the car before circling around it.

Nothing happened for the next second, and then something exploded.

"What the hell?!" Mater cried as the car began to swerve out of control before coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road.

Getting out of the car, Larry aimed his AK-47 at whatever did that to their getaway vehicle.

"W-What the hell is that?!" Larry yelled as the other 2 clambered out of the car.

Dwight could see a slick-looking blue –there was no other way to call it- _alien_ standing right in front of the road with what appeared to be its face smirking at them.

"I duuno, but it's dead!" Mater yelled as he shot several round from his pistol.

The blue alien didn't fall, like what Dwight expected to happen.

Instead, the thing disappeared. Yes, _disappeared_.

"What the-?" Larry said as he held on to his gun more desperately than before. Dwight was really hoping he wouldn't catch friendly fire by mistake.

"Too slow, buddy," a raspy voice said from behind Mater. He turned around to glare into the bright yellow eyes of the alien, before he, and the alien were engulfed into a blue tornado, which disappeared as fast as it began.

What was left was a very dizzy Mater, who looked like he was seeing stars, before he fell onto the floor, unconscious.

"W-Where are you?! Show yourself!" Larry said, firing a few shots of his weapon into the air.

"I'm here!" he heard the same menacing voice say before turning back to spray a few rounds at nothing.

"No, I'm here!" the voice said from behind again. Larry yelled as he shot behind him, again hitting nothing.

"Stand still!" Larry yelled. "Okay," the voice said behind him once more. Turning back, the blue alien stood cross-armed in front of Larry.

"Gotcha now!" he said as he fired a few rounds more, or, at least he would have, if not for the fact that the blue alien swerved it's hand like lightning at the gun.

When Larry pulled the trigger, the gun did something it should not have done. It disassembled to pieces.

"W-What in the-?!" Larry gasped as he stood there, frozen by the alien's quick actions.

"Nighty-night," the alien said before twirling around Larry in a miniature vortex, making him nauseas, dizzy, disoriented, and unable to stand, all at the same time.

Both his accomplices now down for the count, Dwight had no idea what to do. Running wasn't an option.

The alien appeared before him in a flash, its arms on its side. Then Dwight took one look at the badge on its chest.

"Wait! You're that alien hero from the news!" Dwight said, dropping his pistol and pointing at the alien.

"My reputation precedes me. So are you going to surrender willingly?" the alien asked. It was an awkward question.

Knowing he had no chance, Dwight then stood up and stretched his arms out. "I-I surrender…" he said, hanging his head in shame.

"That's a first…I've got no handcuffs, so you can just raise your hands up. The cops are here," the alien said before patting the guy on the shoulder. True enough, Dwight could hear the distinct blare of the police sirens coming from behind him.

"You've just made a smart choice. Resisting arrest adds a year further in your jail sentence," the alien said with a smile before zooming off the roads up ahead, and into what Dwight thought was…

"An RV?"

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 1: Blue Skies **

Y'know, I can't believe you followed my idea of puncturing the car's tires first before apprehending them," Gwen Tennyson said as she took a bite out of her burger.

Ben Tennyson only smiled as he nudged his cousin on the shoulder, sipping on his Coke. "Hey, you came up with something brilliant, so I went for it," the 13-year old boy said.

Gwen raised an eyebrow that disappeared into her fringe. "_You_? Complementing _me_? Did you get hit on the head or something, Ben?" she asked, putting a hand to his forehead.

Frowning slightly, the brown-haired boy then moved the auburn-haired girl's hand away. "Can't I be a gentleman once in awhile?" he asked, moving slightly from his spot next to Gwen's on the lush green grass outside the McDonalds they were at earlier.

He didn't seem upset, but rather acting upset to get her attention. It didn't fool her.

"Ben, don't gimme that look. I was just playing around, 'kay? Since when are you so sensitive?" she asked, running a hand through her medium-length locks.

Turning back, Ben then swatted her playfully on the shoulder. "Hey! What was that for?" she asked, quite scandalized.

"For seeing right through me, Gwen," he remarked, earning a slap to the shoulder in return.

"Ow! What's that for?" Ben asked, half-laughing.

"For being a major dweeb," Gwen said, huffing as she looked away and took another bite from her burger.

"Hey! That's not fair! I didn't do anything to deserve that!" Ben said with his laugh still in place. He then laid down on the grass, wrapping what was left of his burger for later. Grandpa Max's cooking taught both cousins to always save a little edible food for the fridge, just in case.

"Does it matter? A dweeb is still a dweeb," Gwen said, sticking out her tongue at him. Ben only chuckled as he took his fries and handed it over to her.

"Why are you handing me your fries?" she asked, looking quite skeptical. "A peace offering," Ben said with that grin of his. As funny as it was, Gwen always liked his grin. It was goofy, yet for some reason, reassuring.

The offer of fries was quite tempting, so Gwen took it. "Thanks," she said, smiling at him. Ben knew she loved McDonald fries, just as much as she loved apple pie.

She hid a girlish giggle to herself as she remembered that last week Ben had bought her a slice of New York-style apple pie for no apparent reason.

Was maturity really starting to do a number on Ben? Was it really turning him into a _real _gentleman?

She noticed Ben was starting to finish what was remaining of burger. Apparently he didn't want to stash it for later, then.

Ben was eating it rather sloppily, since he was actually doing it with his eyes closed as he continued to lie on the grass.

Giggling softly, Gwen then proceeded to watch as her cousin continuously tried eating, and making a bigger mess with each passing second.

Ben was halfway kicking himself on the butt. Couldn't he get this right without having to open his eyes? He could already hear the stifled laughter from Gwen. It was a consolation, then, being able to make her laugh.

Ben did begin to be fonder over his cousin in the past few years. They almost spent all their time together, doing things usually friends would do. Overall, Ben felt grateful that his relationship with Gwen had grown throughout the years, strengthening their bond.

_She may still be kind of a geek, but she's __**my **__geek…_Ben thought cheekily to himself. He still let his eyes sit shut as he daydreamed of wandering thoughts.

Then something soft touched his left cheek, and he opened his eyes. Gwen was holding a napkin to his cheek, wiping off the stray trail of ketchup that stained his face.

She was looking at him with such a look that made him melt. It was like a nurturing mother taking care of her child.

Ben just sat there, enchanted by Gwen's twinkling emerald eyes and that soft smile she rarely showed anyone. Oh, those lips of hers. Ben just wished he could taste them. He's been only looking for far too long. Actions had to be taken, sooner or later.

"Gwen…" he muttered involuntarily, wishing so much to embrace her there and then.

"Hmm?" she replied, still wiping off the stains from the corners of Ben's mouth.

Only then did Ben realize his blunder. He had to think of a comeback.

"Uh…Thanks," he said, regarding the napkin wipe.

"It's ok, Ben. I swear, you sometimes act like you're still a baby," she said with another gentle chuckle.

_I swear, Gwen. Womanhood has really done wonders for you…_Ben thought with a chuckle of his own.

Gwen stole a glace at Ben as she stopped her chuckle. He was grinning sillily at her again. Oh God, how she loved his smile.

His dark green eyes were so full of life that Gwen felt like a surge of electricity would charge her right up if she just continued to gaze into his eyes.

She then looked away with a slightly pink face. She read somewhere that it was natural to develop…feelings, for your cousin at this age. Puppy love was rather unmerciful.

But was it mere puppy love that she had for Ben? Was it something she had for her very own cousin really supposed to be merely fleeting?

Then Ben merely came within inches of her face, gazing deep into her eyes as he looked at her with a skeptical pout on his face. "Earth to Gwen? You there?"

Gwen literally screamed and fell on her back, her arms flailing as she did so. She was so afraid Ben was going to try something she wasn't quite ready for.

"What's up with you?" he asked, leaning over to look at her. So he wasn't being cheeky or anything, then.

"N-Nothing. You scared me by sneaking up to my face like that," Gwen simply said, still flat on her back.

Ben only raised an eyebrow as he leaned over closer until he was virtually on top of her.

"Sneaking up on you? You were practically daydreaming through a tornado," Ben said, admiring his view of Gwen lying sprawled under him. It was practically a dream come true. For both of them.

Gwen's breathing only grown harder as she realized the situation she was in. Ben was on top of her. _On top_. Oh, the things he could do to her right there and then. It was a rather deserted patch of land. No one had to see them, not even Grandpa, who was busy having coffee with some of his old friends.

But was this what Ben wanted? Did he have feelings for her too? Gwen had no idea.

Underneath that cool façade Ben was pulling, his heart was thumping painfully against his chest a thousand times faster than ever before. He could even hear his own heartbeat. Being on top of Gwen like that, his own _cousin_…it thrilled him to no limit.

Curse those hormones of his! He wanted to take her right there and then. He wanted to tell her how he felt. How his infatuation for her only grew more with each passing second they spent together.

_Oh Ben…_Gwen moaned in her mind. Being this close to him was driving her crazy. She didn't even know how the mood changed from innocently enjoying their burgers to being like this, with one cousin on top of the other, and none of them willing to move.

_What is she waiting for?_ Ben thought, expecting Gwen to have kicked him off minutes ago. Wait, has it already been that long?

No, it had only been seconds. Still, Ben wished he didn't have to move, that was until Gwen spoke.

"Umm…Ben?" she asked, avoiding his gaze. "Yeah?" he asked softly, still half-tranced.

"I don't feel so good, y'know, being like this," she said, frowning slightly. She was lying, of course, but she had to draw the line somewhere.

"Oh," Ben said with a hollow expression. "Sorry."

With that, he got up and took up all the remaining rubbish they left behind. Looking puzzled, Gwen got up too and tried to look at his face. She found it quite hard, as he was at least 5 steps ahead of her, and keeping it that way.

_What __**his**__problem?_ Gwen thought as she crossed her arms. Why was Ben so temperamental out of a sudden?

Honestly, Ben was rather moody. He was enjoying the situation, but forgot that Gwen may not have liked it that way. He felt so stupid, to actually think Gwen would like _that _to happen.

He knew she was trying to see why he suddenly up-and-left, but he didn't her to see him in such a state. Ben knew he can't hide his annoyance from Gwen. She just knew him too well.

"Ben? Ben!" she yelled at him. Still pretending not to hear her, Ben steadily walked off towards where Grandpa Max parked the RV earlier.

Gwen was really starting to get ticked off now. Was he mad because of that incident? Wait, doesn't that mean he was angry because she just told him to get off?

But…doesn't it mean that he _wanted _to be on top??

_No way! Ben's not interested in me! ....Isn't he? _Gwen thought, a thousand thoughts running through her mind as she continued to tail Ben into the RV. He unlocked the door and disappeared in, leaving Gwen behind by mere centimeters.

She noticed he wasn't visibly angry at her, because he didn't slam the door in her face like he did a week ago when they had a large argument over the last piece of pizza.

Smiling at that reality, Gwen then proceeded in to see Ben sitting on the couch, his eyes closed as he nodded his head to the beat of his mp3 player. _That was fast…last I remembered he left that thing on his bed…_Gwen thought.

She then sat opposite him, resting her head on her arms, just observing Ben with a smile on her face. That boy was honestly easy to figure out.

Ben felt the couch nudge a little from the opposite side and knew Gwen must've sat on it. He purposely put the volume till it was loud enough to drown out anything she might have wanted to say.

But when he opened his eyes ever-so-slightly, he could see her smiling at him. Just _sitting_ there and _smiling_ at him.

_Oh God…she's beautiful…_ Ben thought as his heart began to thump painfully again. No other girl he knew had a smile as beautiful as his own cousin's.

"W-What?" Ben said as he backed up a little. He _knew _Gwen had something in store for him. She always did.

Gwen just smiled even warmer and shook her head. "Nothing~" she said in sing-song. This was a simple tactic. Just act nice to Ben until he can't stand it.

It's worked a few times, and he was blissfully oblivious enough to not know it's one of Gwen's tricks. Bless him.

Ben tried to peer his eyes away, but it was just as good as trying to swim in quicksand. He kept looking at her every few seconds. He was addicted to that smile, and he just wanted more.

"Ben~? Are you staring at me~?" she sang. Oh that voice…

"N-No! Why should I?" he defied defiantly (LOL?)

He was trying to defend himself, then. Ah, Gwen knew a way to break through his already flimsy barrier.

"Aww…is Ben acting all defensive over his adorable lil' cousin?" he asked, nudging her shoulders in such a cute way that Ben almost wanted to cuddle her like a kitten. What was going on here??

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ben then closed his eyes and concentrated on the music. At least that would sooth him down.

_Why do I keep running from the truth  
All I ever think about is you  
You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized  
And I just got to know~_

_Do you ever think when your all alone  
All that we can be, where this thing can go  
Am I crazy or falling in love  
Is it real or just another crush  
Do you catch a breath when I look at you  
Are you holding back, like the way I do  
Cause I try and try to walk away,  
But I know this crush ain't going away~ going away~_

Opening his eyes wide, Ben groaned inwardly as he pressed the 'next' button on his mp3 player. _Oh, that's just great. Even David Archuletta needs to poke fun at me..._Ben mumbled in his mind.

Gwen peeked over the table to see Ben lying down on the couch, his eyes shut as he looked like he was about to doze off. Oh, so this was how he was going to play this, then.

Ben was quite certain Gwen had given up with her games, for now. It was since they started maturing did they begin to take their teasing to a more…_physical _level, for who knows what reason. Ben just blames it on the hormones.

He lay peacefully on the couch as he began to clear his mind again. The past 15 minutes were rather too messy, and he was better forgetting it all. All, except the sweet images of Gwen's lovely smiles. Now those were meant to last.

As Ben opened his eyes after what seemed to be a few minutes, he felt the RV already rocking up on the road. He slowly moved himself up and rubbed his eyes. He was rather groggy, and the first thing Ben noticed was the sunset behind him.

Was he asleep for that long?

"Hey Ben, good to see you're finally awake. When I came back both of you were already snoozing on the couch," Grandpa Max said as he looked through the rear-view mirror.

"Both of us?" Ben repeated in question as he looked over to the opposite couch to see Gwen sleeping up straight, a novel loosely in her hands.

_Ah, she fell asleep while reading. Again…B_en thought with a smile on his face. He leaned forward to take the book gently for her and marked the page with the bookmark on the table.

He then stole a glance at her dozing face. She was so delicate no matter what face she gave. Her sleeping look was no different.

Ben smiled wryly as he edged closer to her. Would this magnificent girl ever be his? Would she try and ignore how society looks down upon something like this? The same way he did tried to ignore it?

Well, if Gwen could never be his, at least he could settle for one little thing. The couch was rather shielded by a tinted glass platform, so getting caught by Grandpa was unlikely.

Ben moved closer to Gwen, inch-by-inch. He was within tasting range of her lips, but he decided to forgo that sweet trap. Instead, he gave her a soft kiss on her cheek, letting his lips remain on her soft, smooth skin for merely a second.

Nevertheless, it felt like an eternity to Ben. He wistfully removed his lips from her skin and moved away, satisfied with his daring act.

Unknowing to him, as he went to the bathroom to take a shower –a cold one, mind- a faint hint of a smile crept up Gwen's lips as she moved from her spot ever-so-slightly, still unfazed from her dreams.

"Oh Ben, kiss me again…" she groaned in her sleep as she ran a finger across the spot where Ben's lips grazed her soft skin.

"Mmm…just my cheeks? How boring…" she mumbled with a scowl.

Was it really a good thing that she was asleep when Ben did that?

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**A/N: **_Okay, Chapter 1's done, guys. Please R&R on this one, kay?_

_Tell me what you think about this one, eh? =)_

_Oh, and if you have the time, please try and support the Bwen movement more, please? We really need as many hands on deck as we can._

_Cheers/_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the awesome reviews, guys. Here's the next chapter you guys have been asking for =)

**Chapter 2: Rights**

Shopping was never really a thing for Ben. Ask him 3 years ago if he would go to a mall to shop, to just _shop_, and he'd rather battle a horde of aliens instead. But now strange enough as it was, Ben never protested to follow Gwen shopping around.

Why?

Well, over time Ben began to think less about how aggravating it was to tail her along, and more on how she looked beautiful with every different outfit she tried on. The last time they went shopping, Gwen asked for Ben's opinion on how she looked like in a bikini. He was hoping this time he'd be just as lucky.

"Ben, hurry up!" Gwen said as Ben shook his head. He hated whenever his mind wandered off like that.

Grandpa Max was back in the RV taking a quick nap –he had been driving for most of the night- so both cousins were once again free to go about their business by themselves.

And Ben wouldn't have it any other way.

"How do I look in this?" Gwen asked, wearing a rather cute green shirt. Ben could only give an honest answer.

"It matches your eyes," he said. Gwen couldn't help but look at him with a quizzed look.

"That's the same thing you said about that green dress I bought last week," Gwen said with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, well anything green matches your eyes," Ben replied as he crossed his arms.

"So does that mean that this one's nice on me or what, Ben?" Gwen asked as he turned around.

_Anything would look good on you, Gwen…_Ben thought with a wry smile.

"Yeah, it looks good on you," he simply replied, hiding his smile as Gwen turned around.

"Thanks, now lemme pull this one off and change back," she said, tugging half the shirt off her body before closing the changing room door. Ben could've sworn he saw Gwen's bra line. He then let his silly grin appear as he leaned back and wondered how it would be like to see Gwen in just her bare underwear, or _lesser_.

Sometimes Ben just _loved _how his hormones worked. Maybe there was an added bonus to this shopping trip afterall.

"Gwen? Are you changing?" Ben asked in the most nonchalant tone he could pull off.

"Yeah. Could you gimme a minute? I can't seem to get my bra to hook on," Gwen said, sounding a little ticked-off at the end. Ben couldn't help but smile ridiculously at Gwen's blurted blunder. _Oh thank you, God._

"Gwen? I'm gonna head to the bathroom for a moment, 'kay?" Ben asked, already browsing through the Omnitrix's list of aliens. He knew what he did was wrong, but compared to all the right things he did; he reckoned that both needed a little…_balance_.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be by the jeans section by the time you're back," Gwen plainly replied, still in the dressing room. Ben could still hear the impatient grunts and clicked annoyances from Gwen.

Sneaking into the farthest dressing room possible, Ben then slammed the Omnitrix dial down, turning into the miniscule Grey Matter.

"Sorry Gwen, but a guy's got needs," he said in his high-pitched voice as he leapt from empty room to empty room. He was _extremely _grateful for the fact that Gwen was the only one occupying a dressing room.

As soon as he reached the wall separating him from Gwen, Ben then peeked gently, thankful that Grey Matter's field of vision was the best among his aliens, that is, next to Eye Guy's.

Gwen was facing away from Ben, fumbling with her pink bra strap that couldn't seem to lock together. "Damn strap…_strap on already!_" Gwen hissed.

Ben gulped as he saw Gwen continue to struggle around in nothing save her half put-on bra and her white pants.

_Please let it fall off…_Ben prayed. He knew God wouldn't grant him that kind of wish, but where was the harm in trying?

Gwen then turned around, and Ben almost lost control of his grip.

The bra's fabric hardly clung on to her, threatening to fall off with little to no warning as Gwen continued to connect the strap that she just verbally swore against.

Ben could see _a lot _of her chest valley, and the general outline of her breasts was an added bonus. _This-is-priceless! _Ben thought happily as he felt his grip getting slack.

He then gleefully continued to peek until Gwen groaned and turned her back on Ben, throwing the bra aside. Ben almost squealed with joy at seeing Gwen with her bare, flawless back as she bent over to take up her blue t-shirt and put it on.

_Hang on…she's ditching the whole thing altogether??_ Ben thought to himself. _Is this a divine reward for all my good deeds?_

Ben then leapt out towards the last dressing room, slamming the Omnitrix symbol to turn him back to Ben. Switching between aliens and timing it out by himself altogether was one of the few things Ben learnt from having the Omnitrix for 3 years.

He then dashed out of the rooms, leaning against the wall next to Gwen's dressing room. She came out seconds later, noticing Ben was quite out-of-breath.

"You ran all the way back to meet up with me?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. Ben only nodded as he offered to take the clothes for Gwen. She only smiled as she handed Ben the clothes, then beckoning him to come along.

As Ben trailed his orange-haired cousin, he tried his best to see her bra line. It was honestly rather obvious whenever she wore this particular t-shirt.

And here was the problem. It wasn't there.

_She __**really**__didn't put it on! _Ben gasped in the realms of his mind as he almost dropped the pile of clothes he so faithfully volunteered to carry.

He tried rummaging the pile of clothes to find that light pink bra Gwen wore earlier. He found it amongst the pile, and stole a quick sniff at it. Ben never smelt anything so divine before. He was almost intoxicated by the mere whiff of the lavender-scented bra.

_Gwen's skin smells like this…_Ben thought, clutching onto the bra.

"Ben? Hurry up, I wanna pay for all of this," Gwen said, derailing his train of thought once more.

"What about the jeans department?" Ben asked, moving on to stand mere inches from her.

"Ben Tennyson, are you actually asking me about _more clothes shopping_?" Gwen asked, half laughing.

Ben only shrugged as his face turned pink. He was halfway hoping her underwear would be having problems next if she tried on some jeans.

"Well, I'm beginning not to mind shopping around with you, so…" he said honestly.

It was now Gwen's turn to turn pink as she heard Ben confess. It didn't mean much, but she felt Ben was being rather sweet at that comment.

"Thanks Ben," she replied, smiling sweetly as she moved on to grab clothes-after-clothes form Ben to hand up to the cashier.

After summing it up and paying for them, Gwen the looked at Ben sweetly as she handed 2 of the 4 bags she was currently holding.

Ben, who was still pink all this while, only frowned slightly at Gwen as he took those 2 bags from her. He didn't mind to carry them, but he was beginning to think she was taking him for granted.

"Thank you Ben~" Gwen sang as her sweet red lips curved into a luscious smile, and all was forgiven.

"Now c'mon, let's get back so we can get going. I don't wanna miss the trip to the Museum of Natural Science later this evening!" Gwen said excitedly as she pulled Ben along.

Gwen was the geekiest girl Ben knew. Ever. And yet she was _hottest _girl Ben knew. Life was good.

*

Ben was amazed how Gwen –as collective and smart as she was- could sometimes fall prey to simple things like forgetfulness, or just being plain blur at times.

She was heavily anticipating for the trip to the museum, so-much-so until she actually forgot to put another pair of bras on when they were in the RV.

So there Ben was, eying Gwen's every movement as she walked excitedly from one exhibit to another, her breasts bouncing ever so slightly with each skip she took. He was thankful that no one else knew about this fact, not even Grandpa Max, who was still observing a meteor exhibit.

"Y'know, this looks like the one me and a couple of Plumbers found near Yosemite back in '78," he said, rubbing his chin.

"How'd you know that, Grandpa?" Ben asked, looking at the rock. He needed to take his eyes of Gwen for a moment. His pants were already getting uncomfortable.

"See how that end makes it look like a dolphin's tail?" Grandpa Max asked, pointing to one point. Ben understood what his grandfather meant, and laughed lightly with him for a few seconds.

"Okay, I'm gonna leave you 2 to your fun while I get a drink at the café nearby, 'kay?" Grandpa Max said.

_More alone-time for me and Gwen? Sure thing, man!_

"Sure, Grandpa. I'll call you if anything goes wrong," Ben said, trying his best to not smile. The wizened man only smiled as he waved Ben goodbye. Gwen was too busy engrossing herself with the exhibits to notice, but that only played out to Ben's advantage even more.

He then moved forward to tap Gwen gently on the shoulder, snapping her out of a daze she had over a rather intricate diagram of the Everest Mountains.

"Hmm?" she asked, turning around.

"Grandpa Max went to get a drink by the café outside. He's gonna take awhile, so we're both by ourselves," Ben said.

"Oh? Then you'll have to stick with me, Ben. I left my phone back in the RV," Gwen said, looking back at the diagram.

Ben only mumbled his reply as he observed Gwen. She was totally engrossed with the diagram until she couldn't see him just staring at her, observing _her _instead.

_{A/N: I suggest you listen to this song from Youtube called **A Sad piano song from Japan 4 **while reading the next lines below. It suits the mood_. _Oh, and please __**read slowly while listening to it**__.} _

Everything Ben saw in her was beautiful. The way her auburn hair cascaded down, adorning her with a permanent sunset, the way her rose-red lips curved upwards as she concentrated on the diagram, the sparkle in her eyes…

Never had Ben seen such a beautiful girl. Never had the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with has been someone so unattainable. Ben felt torn, right there and then.

Would she ever want him? Would she ever feel the same way? He felt that sudden twang of utter pain hitting his heart as he looked away.

Why was it such a sin to love her? Why was it so wrong? Ben then slowly began to walk off towards a bench, facing away from her.

As he sat, he gazed wistfully upon Gwen, then looked away once more, and was utterly shocked when a single stray tear flowed from his eye. Before he even began to wipe it off, more tears came. And more.

Ben did what he could to stop himself from crying uncontrollably. He didn't want to make a scene out of things, eventhough that hall was particularly empty, save for the 2 cousins.

But Gwen heard the small choke coming from Ben's direction, and she abandoned the diagram altogether as she made her way to him.

"Ben? What's wrong?" she asked, noticing Ben was covering his head in his hands. She knelt down as he stiffened up. She hasn't even touched him yet!

"Ben?" she asked further, reaching to stroke his fine brown hair. She made contact, and he stiffened further still. Wary that he may push her hand away, Gwen then laid her hand still for the moment. He didn't react.

Knowing it was now safe, Gwen then stroked his hair softly, her other hand working up the courage to take his hands away to see what's wrong.

"Ben, you can tell me what's wrong, you know," she said soothingly, before pulling him into an embrace.

Ben's eyes opened in utter shock. Gwen was actually hugging him?

"It's ok, Ben. You can tell me what happened," she said, wrapping both arms around him. Ben couldn't figure out if Gwen was hugging him just to comfort him, or was there another reason?

"Does it have anything to do with the hero business?" Gwen asked on a lighter note.

Oh, so _that's_ what she thinks it's all about…

"Y-Yeah, it does," Ben said softly as he wrapped his arms around Gwen. It was a downright lie, but if it was the only thing he could do to continue holding on to Gwen like this, he'd have lied about anything gladly.

"Well, you know that I'm always here for you, right?" Gwen said, truly enjoying the warmth of Ben's embrace against her own.

She actually felt so ashamed for taking advantage of poor Ben like this, when he was in a hurt situation.

It was ironic as Ben was feeling the same way, ashamed at the fact that he's taking advantage of Gwen's comforting actions towards him.

"Thanks Gwen…" Ben muttered, stroking her hair. Gwen almost laughed at him. Wasn't she supposed to be the one who did that?

"Feeling better now?" she asked, budging Ben slightly away from her to look him in the eye.

"Y-Yeah, I am…" Ben said softly. Gwen then did something Ben would have never thought of. She put her forehead right on his, their noses brushing each other's, and their lips mere centimeters away.

"Now don't go all _emo _again, 'kay?" she asked softly. Ben found it so hard to breath, trying to pace his inhales and exhales again. This was the closest he had ever been to Gwen with both of them not protesting about it. And Gwen didn't mind it either.

_Oh God, please don't let him wanna move away…_she prayed, remaining in the same position for another few seconds.

_Wha-? What is she thinking?? _Ben thought in his mind, thinking this was too good to be true. Was she teasing him again? For a second Ben thought this was some kind of extreme version of a stare-off.

Then he decided he could have a little more fun out of this as well.

In one swift move, Ben then wrapped his arms firmly around Gwen's back, holding them together in a tighter embrace.

Gwen gasped in shock at Ben's sudden actions, but she couldn't find it within herself to break free. Only then did she realize her blunder. _Oh crap, I'm not wearing a bra!!_

Ben already knew that, and was taking full advantage of this situation right here, and right now.

He further tightened the embrace, making Gwen let out an involuntary moan. Her breasts were now practically rubbing against Ben's chest, save for the 2 thin pieces of clothing that was in the way. And the felling of Ben's strong arms against her almost bare back did not help in that situation.

Ben could feel them. The soft, yet so firm presence of Gwen's mounds against his chest drove him wild. With one hand he stroked her back, making Gwen arch herself further into Ben. It wasn't a good decision, as it only sandwiched Gwen further.

This time, she gasped out fully, Ben almost losing it from hearing her faint, melodious voice. "B-Ben!" she said, feebly trying to escape. "What are you doing?!"

"What? Can't I just hug you in thanks?" Ben replied, hiding the mischievous expression by putting his cheek next to Gwen's. Eventhough he couldn't see it, he knew Gwen was turning red.

_Wait, he doesn't know what he's doing? I should tell him…WAIT! If I do that, then that'll mean he'll know that I'm bra-less right now!_

"Gwen? Something the matter?" Ben asked with an evil smirk, Gwen squirming and twitching against his grip. Since Ben was still sitting on the bench when he embraced Gwen, so when he leaned back, it forced her to ride up on top of him to gain support. Because of that, Gwen's hips were now locked with Ben's, almost all of their skins now in contact with each other.

Knowing this, Ben then lowered one of his hands to pull her lower half closer to him, making Gwen stifle her squeal.

_Is he really that oblivious to this??_ Gwen thought doubtfully.

Her thoughts began to wander to territories she knew were forbidden. She was a smart girl, and she knew what sex was about, in as far as her knowledge served, she was 'riding him' at this point.

_Oh no, oh-no oh-no oh-no! _Gwen thought in her mind, which was beginning to cloud with such obscene things.

Gwen wished she was rid of her meddlesome clothes right now, and that the same was for Ben, too. Her hormones were working on overtime, pumping pure lust into her veins as she desperately wanted to kiss her cousin there and then, and make him hers to do whatever she pleased.

All those barriers that held her back, all those thoughts of how cousin love was wrong, all of them, she couldn't give a damn any longer. She wanted Ben right now. She didn't care that they were both just 13. It couldn't have mattered less.

Ben, with all his testosterone pumping up, resisted the urge to tear off Gwen's clothes and ruin her for marriage right now. _Oh, Gwen…_he thought, wanting to kiss her with such a passionate urge, but had to fight it, fearing if she wouldn't feel the same about him.

He couldn't care anymore. Ben then moved his head away and budged Gwen's too, so they were both looking eye-to-eye. Then it struck him. Was he looking at the sheer amount of lust in Gwen's emerald eyes, or was it just his own lust reflected upon her own?

"Ben…" she whispered. Was he going to kiss her? Was her dream, her most forbidden fantasy, going to come true? There was only one way to find out.

Ben slightly backed away as he saw Gwen closing her eyes, doubting himself as he thought he saw her puckering up ever-so-slightly. Was she _expecting_ a kiss from him?

He couldn't bother, because either way, Gwen's soft, delicate, virgin lips were his for the taking. He knew she never kissed a boy before, yet then again, he never kissed a girl before neither.

If they were each other's firsts, Ben didn't mind. Nothing seemed to be impossible at that fleeting moment.

Then his phone rang.

Exhaling sharply in utter disappointment, Ben then released his grip on Gwen for a fraction of a second, but that was enough for her to instinctively get up.

Ben then grudgingly answered his phone. "Hello?" he asked coldly.

"Ben? Are you guys done with the exhibit yet? The museum closes in 10 minutes," Grandpa Max said from the other end.

"Oh, okay. I'll tell Gwen. Bye," he said, then keeping the phone as he stood up. Gwen had her back turned on him, her face redder than a tomato.

"Gwen, Grandpa said the museum closes in 10 minutes, so are you done yet?" he asked nonchalantly. If he did so otherwise, it would have betrayed his earlier actions.

Thinking that Ben wasn't aware of the earlier situation, Gwen inhaled deeply before turning around.

"Yeah, I'm done. Let's go," she said. Truthfully, she was lying, but in the end she got something better than looking at some museum exhibits. It was the first time that she and Ben had ever been this physically close, and she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

As both cousins walked towards the entrance, Gwen held back slightly and loosened her t-shirt slightly above the collar. She was still turned on by the rather risqué encounter with Ben earlier, and the last thing she wanted was Ben to notice two sudden small bumps on Gwen's t-shirt.

If only she knew that Ben was pulling his t-shirt downwards to cover the area in between his legs. If only she knew…

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**A/N: **_There, chapter 2 is done! So tell me how you guys think about it, kay? I'm not so sure that this fic will remain in the T ratings for much longer. We'll have to wait and see…. ^^_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **_Thanks you guys for all the great reviews! Here's something much steamier, but not enough to break the T boundary, although this chapter may bend the barrier so badly, it might as well be an M-rated chappie… (Insert evil laughter here)_

_Oh, and forgive me for making such a major, but they're 15 in this fic, not 13. It's for more…__mature…reasons…hehe…._

_**Chapter 3: Fate**_

Gwen was so glad that she always had the top bunk and that both she and Ben were in charge of washing their own sheets.

If it were otherwise, Gwen would totally die of embarrassment. But could she help it? She lusted for Ben _so _much, so much till she couldn't help herself at night.

She was a growing girl, that was for sure, and it was the new things that coursed through her body that made her so wild.

That incident last week with Ben in the museum was the most arousing thing she had ever experienced. Oh God…how she wanted to experience that again…

_No! No! Get a grip, Gwendolyn! You're much more mature than that!_

_**Oh sure, mature. You're even doing things that mature women do, eh?**_

_Oh shut up! _Gwen told that little voice in her head.

The orange-haired girl turned to her side as she grunted, pulling her bed covers further above herself.

She wanted Ben to touch her again, to feel his warmth, to feel his touch…

Gwen discreetly slid her hand once between her legs, and twitched. She hardly did stuff like this, but she had no other way to relieve all that tension within her. All that _sexual _tension.

Gwen shamefully touched herself again and whimpered. She hardly masturbated, _ever_. But right now she couldn't think of anything else other than Ben. And she couldn't sleep. _Bad combination_.

Gwen gingerly moved her left hand to her chest as her right continued to stroke a spot so forbidden to her. She stifled her whimpers, afraid that Ben could hear her. Grandpa slept on the sofa near the front, so he wasn't a threat.

Knowing she was relatively safe, Gwen then brushed her hand once more against herself, and it made her twitch and squirm.

She forced another of her hand against her mouth to muffle the moan she involuntarily let out. She was getting wetter with each touch, and Gwen noted that her panties were getting soaked too.

Remembering something her friends once discussed about, Gwen pushed the thin fabric away and inserted a finger daringly within. She almost gasped out loud, but kept it muffled as she truly enjoyed the foreign, new feeling within her.

She felt extremely guilty, yet so fulfilled. _Now…if only Ben was the one touching me like this…_

With that in mind, Gwen then moved her fingers in and out slowly, her breathing intensifying with each stroke.

It wasn't soon before she felt something strange within her, like something was waiting to release itself from within her.

_Oh Ben...Ben…harder…harder! _Gwen cried within herself as she reached her climax for the very first time.

She never felt so fulfilled or satisfied before as in that very second, basking in the afterglow of her own actions. She slowly removed her fingers from herself and examined the sticky, almost clear liquid on it.

_So this is what it looks like, huh? It's totally different from what a guy's one is…_Gwen thought as her eyelids began to feel heavy.

Her actions must have made her exhausted internally, then. Gwen almost let out a weak chuckle as she thought that _this _could be an easy cure for insomnia.

As sleep began to envelope her, she brought her fingers to her mouth as a wry smile crept up her soft pink lips. Knowing very well what she was doing, Gwen then licked her fingers, tasting her own self.

_Mmm…I wonder if Ben would like how I taste…_She said with such an evil smirk, and closed her eyes to let sleep take over.

*

Ben couldn't tolerate the annoyance any longer. The bright morning sun pierced his closed eyes for far too long, and he couldn't stand it any longer.

Throwing his bed sheets grumpily, the 15 year-old brunette got up and walked to the bathroom, scratching his head.

The clock on the wall said that it was 11am, and the RV was gently rattling. "Oh Ben, good, you're finally awake. Gwen saved a little breakfast for you, so hurry up and get clean," Grandpa Max said, from the driver's seat.

"Ok," Ben groggily replied, disappearing into the bathroom. Coming out several minutes later, he opened his bunk to take out a pair of clothes to change into. He found amongst them his old white t-shirt with a black stripe running down its center. Ben smiled as he put it on. _Man, this sure brings back memories…_

Then Ben's stomach grumbled audibly. _Oh yeah, I haven't eaten yet…_Ben thought as he made his way to the table. He found a covered plate and immediately assumed it was his breakfast.

Opening it, he was surprised to find an omelet. "Did you cook this, Grandpa?" Ben asked.

"Nope. Gwen did. And she did one heck of a good job with those eggs," Grandpa Max chuckled as he continued to drive down the highway.

Ben gingerly took a fork from the plate and picked off a piece, skewing it. As far as Ben could tell, Gwen used mushrooms, red and green peppers, and a little parsley. Since a few weeks back Ben became a little interested in cooking, so he knew his way around a frying pan.

He then put that piece in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. _Hey, this is really good!_

"Hey Gwen, I really like this!" Ben said, looking up but was replied with absolutely nothing. She wasn't sitting in front of him like she usually would, either buried in her spell book or her laptop.

"Gwen?" he asked again softly. He turned around, but couldn't find her at all. He finished off the rest of the omelet within a few minutes and placed the plate in the sink, walking over to the bunk beds.

"Gwen? You there?" It was a silly question to ask, really. The Rustbucket in itself wasn't a relatively large vehicle, so there weren't a lot of places to hide in. Unless…

"Gwen?" he said, pulling himself up to Gwen's bunk. She was leaning her back against a bunch of pillows, reading a novel. Ben noted that she was listening to her iPod, so she couldn't have heard him.

He waved a hand near her direct field of vision, and she took notice of it. "Hmm?" she hummed, taking off her headphones. "Yes Ben?" she asked with such a warm and inquisiting face. Ben's heart almost melted there and then. The Gwen he knew 5 years ago would merely ask "What?" or "What now, dweeb?" in her typical annoyed fashion.

It made him smile as he realized that Gwen had grown so much from before. They hardly bickered anymore, and he was grateful for that. He couldn't bear to get into an argument with her.

"Ben? What's up?" she asked again, running a hand in front of his face. It snapped him back to reality.

"Oh. Uh, I wanted say something 'bout that omelet you made," Ben replied. Gwen's face reddened for a second as she unintentionally pursed her lips.

"Yes?" she asked softly. Ben knew she expected a compliment about her cooking. After all, she was what got him interested in cooking too, in the first place.

"It was delicious, Gwen. I mean it," Ben said with a soft undertone. She then smiled warmly at him and then leaned forward. Ben wasn't very sure what she was going to do until it was too late.

Gwen gave him a kiss on the cheek, one that seemed to last forever in it's timeframe of a mere second. "Thanks Ben," she said with that warm smile again, her emerald eyes shimmering.

Ben mouth fell a few good telltale centimeters as his face turned scarlet. He grazed a finger to the spot that Gwen's lips made contact. It felt warm.

Gwen was almost as red as Ben, if not redder as she giggled girlishly, running a hand through Ben's hair. "You are so funny sometimes, y'know that?" she asked softly, Ben merely freezing on the spot. Gwen's gentle hand felt like an angel's grace. Oh how he wished she would never let go.

They remained that way for a few seconds, which was until a sudden sharp lurch made both Ben and Gwen fall off the bed. Knowing Gwen would fall on her back, Ben positioned himself in that fraction of a second to balance himself in midair and catch her.

When his feet slammed onto the floor, Ben held his arms wide open to catch a screaming Gwen. She landed with a soft thud onto Ben, who bore the initial pain of the contact.

"Kids, are you okay?!" Grandpa Max yelled from the front. "We're fine, Grandpa!" Ben yelled back. "What happened?"

"Some jerk in a motorcycle swerved in right in front of me! I had to brake or else I'd hit him!" Grandpa Max growled.

"Damn him, then," Ben replied confidently. It was when he looked straight ahead did he blush scarlet once more.

When he caught Gwen, he didn't realize he caught her bride-style, and she had her arms wrapped securely around his neck for support.

Both cousins were silent for a few moments. Neither wanted to let go, as this was the closest they ever were physically. Then Gwen finally broke the silence. "Ben…" she whispered, layers of longing evident within her tone.

Her voice was as melodious as a choir to Ben. "Comfortable?" Ben asked wittingly. Gwen only chuckled as she pulled him closer. "I am now."

With that, she moved her head closer to his, closing the gap between them rather dangerously. "Gwen, I-" Ben never got to finish that sentence as her lips met his for the first time.

His green eyes remained wide in shock for the first few seconds, but when he grasped the wonderful reality of Gwen actually kissing him, the boy fully replied the kiss with his own, furiously taking Gwen.

The girl only squealed in shock as Ben deepened the kiss intensely, feeling something soft intruding into her mouth. It took her a second to realize in utter horror that it was his tongue.

_French? He wants it French?? _Gwen thought. But the prospect of it only turned her on further. She accepted Ben tongue as she fought against it with her own. _You aren't gonna win this one, baby._

Both nervously, but passionately explored each other's mouths, Gwen able to taste the subtle hint of her omelet in Ben. She giggled as she remembered Ben complementing her about her cooking less than a few minutes ago.

When they broke the kiss, their warm breaths tickled each other's noses as both cousins were practically drunk with utter lust for each other. 15 or not, both Ben and Gwen _loved_ this.

"Kids? D'you have any bruises or anything?"

Gwen practically jumped off Ben at Grandpa Max's question, Ben steadying her up. "W-We're fine, Grandpa!" Gwen hollered, straightening out her clothes.

She then gestured Ben to follow her to the table. She sat at one end as she pointed at the other. Ben, who expected to be invited to sit next to her, was quite taken aback, but sat obediently.

"Listen, Ben…" Gwen muttered as she was looking at him seriously. Ben's heart fell. It was never a good sign.

"I think we have to stop this. Leading you on with that kiss wasn't the right thing," she said. Ben's heart fell even deeper. He was sure he could feel it clanging onto his foot.

"But Gwen…" he protested weakly.

"No buts, Ben. W-We're cousins. This isn't right…" she said, looking away wistfully.

"Now I know you don't mean that, Gwen. Your lips told me otherwise," Ben smirked, gaining that ever-so-slight bit of momentum.

"Benjamin Carlyle Tennyson…" Gwen hissed, leering at him with her brilliant green eyes. They were so dangerous, yet so captivating….

But Ben raised his arms mid-length in mock defeat. If Gwen was calling him by his full name, it must be serious.

"But…that kiss meant that you _like _me, don't you?" he asked, realization dawning upon him. Gwen turned scarlet as she looked at Ben with a speechless expression. "I _knew _it," he continued.

"N-No I don't!" she lied, keeping her voice low enough for Grandpa Max not to overhear them. Ben could tell she was faking it.

"Oh? You're not the world's best liar, Gwen," Ben said, Gwen looking at him reproachfully again.

"Stop it, Ben!" she hissed.

"It's not fair to leave it like this, Gwen! We both found out that we like each other _very much_, and you want us to drop it?"

"No. I want _you _to drop it while I try to forget the kiss ever happened," Gwen bit back.

"How can I forget my first kiss, Gwen? Especially if it's with the only girl I want to spend the rest of my life with?" Ben asked.

This time Gwen didn't have an answer or a retort on standby. Ben's statement blew them all away.

She only looked out the window again, trying to find something else to shoot back with, or Ben would gain the leverage to win her over. And right now, she would have happily let him win, if not for that little part of her mind fighting back.

"…It was my first too…"

Ben turned back and confronted her. "Excuse me?"

She didn't reply.

"I was your first kiss?"

"If you knew what I said earlier, why bother to ask me again?" Gwen asked coldly.

"Because I needed to know if I didn't dream it up. This entire morning is like a dream come true for me, Gwen. Really, it was. But it's ironic. It's starting to falter like a _real_ dream…" Ben said, looking out the window too as his expression turned gloomy.

Gwen stole a glance at Ben and felt the pain within her multiply. _Oh God…Ben's opening his heart out to me and here I am being so mean to him…_she said, a tear almost welling up in her eyes.

She moved her hand forward to touch Ben's. She smiled ruefully at him and mouthed a silent "Sorry."

Ben couldn't resist that face of hers and merely shrugged. God knows that boy could never stay angry at her for long.

"Listen Ben…I really am sorry, but as much as I want it too, we can't go on like this…" she muttered.

"Now here's something I don't get, Gwen. You want it, I want it, then why can't we both just say yes?" Ben asked.

"Because we're cousins, that's why," Gwen replied. She felt so ridiculous for being such a stupid hypocrite about this. _Gosh, I hope Ben doesn't see right through me…_

"Gwen, I mean no offense, but you're being a stupid hypocrite about this," Ben retorted. _Oh great…he knows._

"No I'm not!" Gwen rebounded back with a slightly childish tone, Ben chuckling as he got up to corner her in her seat.

"Yes you are," Ben almost whispered as Gwen moved backwards. It did little good as her back thudded against the wall. Ben had her pinned down _good_.

"No…No I'm not…" Gwen almost whispered out in return, her breathing getting heavier as her heart thumped painfully against her chest.

"Yes you are," Ben said raspy-ly, bridging the gap between their faces once more. Gwen could do little to resist. He was practically towering over her, and she loved it.

"N-No I-I'm…" she struggled as Ben's breath tickled her nose for the 2nd time today. "Oh shut up, Gwen," Ben said slyly as his lips barely brushed against hers.

All protests against the kiss, all reason and logic, all of them melted away with the sweet bliss of Ben's lips against her own.

She wrapper her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss but allowing it to remain soft, sweet and void of any lustful attention.

She couldn't care less about the risks. Gwen was in love with her own cousin, and she was well enough with it. If only this could last forever….

"Alright kids, we're here!"

Both cousins immediately broke the kiss apart, a wet _smack! _sound following suit. Gwen clasped a hand over her mouth as she instinctively pushed Ben away from her.

"Kids?" Grandpa Max asked, taking off his seatbelt after stopping the RV, turning behind to see Ben fall off the sofa and onto the floor.

"I've heard of those falling in front when a car stops, but sideways?" Grandpa Max asked, getting up as Ben rubbed the back of his head.

The wizened man walked over to help Ben up. He turned to see Gwen reading her spell book.

"Well? How did it happen?" he asked Gwen.

"D-Dunno, Grandpa. He must've been leaning too hard on the side or something…" she muttered.

"Yeah, I was, Grandpa…" Ben said, still rubbing his head.

Grandpa Max sighed as he patted Ben once on the head. "Anyway, as I was saying earlier, we're here, kids," he said, opening the clothes drawer to take out a bag.

"Where's _here_, exactly?" Gwen asked.

"Well, I thought you both could use a nice, soft _real _bed for a change. I've got an old friend who's the manager of the Hilton here, and he's booked a couple of room for us, free of charge," Grandpa Max said.

"No way!" both cousins exclaimed, exchanging looks of utter glee. They immediately rushed to their bunks to pack in their things.

"Go pack your swimming things in too. I heard they have an Olympic-sized swimming pool here," Grandpa Max said with a grin, knowing both cousins loved to swim.

"Awesome!" they both chorused again, Ben tossing in his black swimming shorts. The brunette then noticed Gwen discreetly sneaking in a light green fabric, and kept a goofy grin in.

"We're only staying here for a day, kids. Too bad it couldn't be longer, eh?" Grandpa Max noted as he zipped up his luggage bag. It was honestly the smallest bag he had.

"Why's he being so generous, Grandpa?" Ben said as he zipped his backpack up and slung it over his shoulders.

"Oh. We were chatting on the phone a few days ago and I told him we were nearby. He wants to settle an old game of golf we had way back before you kids were even born," Grandpa Max chuckled.

"You can golf, Grandpa?" Gwen asked, walking over to the table to pack her laptop in.

"I'll have you know I'm not too shabby in my game," Grandpa Max said playfully with his hand on his hips, both Ben and Gwen laughing heartily.

All 3 of them then exited the RV and were greeted with a towering building with the trademark giant _H _on the top.

"Whoah…" both cousins said. Ben spotted a large, lush amount of forest next to it. "Is that the golf course?"

" Yup. It's the 3rd largest one in America," Grandpa Max said, leading them to the front entrance.

When they entered in, Gwen couldn't help but gawk at the majesty of it. The main hall itself was as large as the main hall in the Plumber's Weapons Storage in Mount Rushmore, and that was saying something.

"Double whoah…" Ben muttered.

"Max! Maxwell Tennyson! Is that you?" they heard a bubbly voice come from near them. They saw an elderly man that Gwen gathered was the same age as Grandpa Max walking towards them, arms wide open.

"George! It's been to long!" Grandpa Max said as he moved over to give the man a huge hug. "It sure has been, Max. How long has it been? 10 years?" the man asked, patting Grandpa Max on the shoulders after they let go.

"10 and a half actually. Oh, kids, this is George Wilfred. George, you remember Ben and Gwen?"

The man called George beamed at both of them as they greeted him. He took both their hands and shook them happily. "I remember you 2! The last time I saw them, they were just little kids!" he said, chuckling.

He was overall a pleasant man, as far as both Ben and Gwen could tell.

"Now here are the room keys," George said as he handed something to Grandpa Max. "And you kids might wanna check the pool later, right? It's right there, on the west wing," George said, pointing to one particular direction.

Ben could see a couple of girls walking towards there, clad in nothing but their bikinis.

_If that isn't an indication of where the pool was, I dunno what is…_

"And I'll see _you later _on the course, Max. We'll start from Hole 1," George said with a grin before waving them goodbye.

"Okay, so let's check into the rooms first, shall we?" Grandpa Max asked, budging the 2 cousins along.

They took an elevator up to the 23rd floor, the 3rd highest floor in the entire building. "Whoah, he gave us a suite?" Ben asked as they got out, checking the halls. They were almost eerily quiet, save for the sounds of some rather loud television sets.

"Okay, we're…this way," Grandpa Max said, looking at the floor plan. He led them on until he abruptly stopped.

"Okay, here it is. Room 2307 and 2314," he said, handing Ben one key while he moved on to the room opposite. Both cousins observed that there were on 2 rooms, facing each other.

"Uhh, Grandpa? Where do I sleep?" Ben asked, handing the key to Gwen.

"What d'you mean? You both are sharing a room," the man replied nonchalantly.

"What?!" both Tennyson cousins asked in unison, almost startling their grandfather.

"Now, now. My friend George could only find 2 suites on the 23rd floor for us. We should be thankful enough that he gave us these rooms for free," Grandpa Max remarked.

"Okay, I won't argue there," Ben suddenly said, opening the door with the cardkey and gesturing Gwen in too.

"I'll be changing and then heading for the golf course. Are you 2 heading for the pool?" Grandpa Max asked, opening his door.

"Yeah, we are. Seeya later, Grandpa," Gwen said, closing the door.

"Gwen! C'mere! This place is awesome!" Ben yelled from inside. She went in stumble across a living room that was about the same size as her house's.

"Wow…this suite must cost at least a thousand per night…" Gwen remarked, checking out the bedroom. It was twice the size of her own.

She stood there for a second. Was Grandpa really that trusting to let them sleep in the same room? Wasn't he afraid that something might happen between 2 hormonal 15 year-olds, regardless of the fact that they were both cousins?

"Now..." Ben suddenly muttered from behind her. "Where were we?"

With that, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, wrapping his arms around her.

"Kyaa!" Gwen squealed. He was grinning, his light green eyes entrancing her.

"Ben, stop…" she warned. She tried pushing him away, but it didn't work.

"Now don't tell me you again think that as cousins this is wrong?" Ben asked, rolling his eyes.

Gwen wanted to _exactly _say that, but both she and Ben knew that it was pointless to bring that matter up anymore.

"I just don't want our parents to find out about this…what about Grandpa? What if he knew?" Gwen argued.

"Well, they all _did _want us to grow closer instead of fighting all the time, don't they?" Ben asked cheekily, Gwen slapping his broad chest. Oh how solid it felt….

Only then did she observe that Ben's old shirt was rather tight-fitting on him, and it wonderfully showed off his subtle, yet evident muscles.

"Well? Any more objections?" Ben asked, closing the gap between them once more.

Gwen silently shook her head, not willing to argue any further.

But she pushed him away nevertheless, surprising the boy. "What?" he asked.

"There's a bed merely 5 feet from us, Ben. I don't need to tell you what might happen next," she said coldly with a very red face.

Ben had to suppress a chuckle as he walked over to his luggage. "Y'know what, Gwen? I wasn't even thinking about it. Only _you_ were," he said devilishly as he unpacked his swimming shorts.

"D-Dweeb!" Gwen stuttered, throwing a pillow from the nearby couch at Ben, who easily caught it.

"But I'm _your _dweeb, aren't I?" Ben asked with an arched eyebrow. The auburn-haired girl only turned redder (if that were possible…) and huffed away, unpacking her things.

"So where does this leave us, Gwen?" Ben asked. The girl only turned around, quite curios at what Ben could mean.

"What?"

"Where does this leave us, Gwen? Are we still just cousins, or are we more than that?"

Gwen looked away, deep in thought. Ben proved a point. She wasn't going to resist him any longer, but did it mean that they were now lovers? It was almost as tough as opposing the thought itself.

"Well…" Gwen muttered, unsure of what to say next.

"Hmm?" Ben asked, edging closer to her from behind. Gwen then got up and sat firmly on the bed, staring Ben straight in the eyes.

"I've decided. We're neither here nor there. Is that ok?"

"Huh?" Ben asked in return, quite blur.

"We're more than just cousins, but we're not lovers, got it?" she asked.

Ben took less than a second to register the initial part, but got stuck at the end. "Wait, what do you-"

"Listen, Ben, I need some time to think about it. I don't want to rush things in too much, y'know? And we still have our parents and Grandpa to think about," Gwen explained.

"Haven't I cleared out that part earlier?" Ben asked with a toothy grin, Gwen throwing another pillow at him.

He caught it and lunged it back onto the bed, not intending to hit Gwen.

"So, what? I'm not allowed to kiss you anymore?" he asked as he edged his way to mere centimeters from her face in split seconds.

Ben then held her chin up and kissed her once more, this time with such a tender ferocity that was a paradox in itself.

Gwen moaned at the sudden kiss, not the least prepared for it. It took her fully by surprise, so she didn't have the time to brace for it.

Ben broke the kiss all too soon, but smiled as he placed a finger on her lips, feeling the soft, marshmallow-like texture.

"Ben…" she moaned, that longing growing within her again. But she soon snapped out of it –ruefully- and moved his finger away. But seeing that hurt expression on his face, Gwen placed a warm hand on his face, softly caressing it.

"Gwen, I…" he began, but felt the words escape his mouth as Gwen smiled warmly at him.

"I may grant you a kiss or 2 for now, but no way are you gonna reach 2nd base with me, Ben Tennyson," she said as that smile turned into a smirk that only Gwen could pull off.

"Fine," Ben said.

No, he wasn't fine with it, not in the least. But right now, this was all he could get for now, and it would be wise for him to take it rather than leave it.

"Now c'mon, the sun's bright, the weather's perfect, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool sounds like the perfect thing," Gwen said, grabbing the light green fabric and rushing into the bathroom.

Ben had that same silly grin as earlier when he saw the fabric. Seeing Gwen in a swimsuit was by far something he would surely look forward to.

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**A/N: **_There. Another chapter done. I really hope I didn't ruin the perspective by changing their ages so suddenly, but it had to be done. _

_Anyway, has this ever been done? Usually they would be together by now, but I purposely left them hanging between being just cousins and the next step. Tell me what you guys think about it, okay?_

_Cheers._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **_Okay, I wanna apologize for taking such a long hiatus from the BxG fics. I've been really busy lately and college just started with LOADS of stuff to do._

_Anyway, this chapter's meant to be a challenge to bengwen014's Smut: Zero Tolerance fic by making this chapter bend the T-rated boundary like never before! ^^_

_Oh, and by the way, I'm changing my fic's justification. _

_Tell me what you guys think of the new format, ok?_

_

* * *

_

_**Chapter 4: Longing**_

Gwen couldn't understand why boys were so obsessed over one particular part of the female anatomy.

And as much of a smart and mature boy Ben was –yes, being with Gwen for a few years will do that to you- he still found himself enticed by the rather bountiful amount of _opportunities _that he couldfind in the hotel's swimming pool.

She found herself leering reproachfully at him for every time he gulped, _knowing _he was either looking at a girl leaning backwards to take something while dressed only in a bikini or for some other reason.

"Ben Tennyson, you're drooling!" Gwen hissed, elbowing him on the stomach, which was honestly, rather firm. _Oh, those fine abs of his…Thank God for Grandpa's training…_

Gwen then shook her head, appalled that she was thinking of such thoughts.

Then Ben looked at her and wrapped his arm around her, smiling as he kissed her head.

"Sorry Gwen, I couldn't help but look. But you'll _always _come first in my mind," he whispered into her ear, and all was forgiven.

"Don't go getting all soft on me, Ben. I told you that we're not a couple yet," she said, crossing her arms.

"Ah, but with you saying 'yet', it just means it'll be a matter of time, no?" he asked cheekily, Gwen harrumphing at him.

"Okay, okay," Ben said, pulling her even closer. It was then did he realize that he was practically skin-to-skin with Gwen, her warm body dangerously close to his.

He decided to take advantage of this and pull her even closer, her bare shoulder pressing against his side.

Gwen frowned for a second before wrapping her arm around him, figuring that Ben just wanted to show a little affection to her, regardless of their relationship.

But Ben had an ulterior motive. He always does. Hugging her close, he could feel her soft, supple mounds pressing against him, and he smiled silly-ly because of that.

Gwen on the other hand tried her best to resist running her hands all the way across his lean body, wanting to admire that strong physique.

Ben wasn't heavily muscular like other guys, but he had a fine tone to him that Gwen appreciated.

"Ben…I'm sorry I turned you down like that earlier…" she said, resting her head on his shoulder as they both continued to walk to the benches.

"What's with the apologies, Gwen?" Ben asked as he sat down on one of the benches, Gwen mimicking the motion.

"I just felt bad about it all of a sudden," she shrugged, leaning back to enjoy the sun.

Ben took full advantage of the situation to admire her wondrous frame as she pulled her sunglasses over her eyes, oblivious to Ben's gazes.

"So are you gonna jump in the pool or what?" Ben asked, looking as her breasts rose and fell with each breath she took.

"Maybe later, Ben. You can head on first," she said, stretching out.

Ben almost felt a nosebleed coming as the thin green fabric stretched itself along with Gwen, and gawked when he thought he saw something poking slightly at the tip of Gwen's bikini top.

_Keep it together, Tennyson! _

Ben looked away with a red tinge on his face, trying to straighten out his pants. He took once glance at it and gulped. He was already quite turned-on by Gwen, and had no way to get rid of it.

Unless…

"Hey Gwen? I'm going to take a quick dip, okay?" he asked, getting up as Gwen murmured her answer.

"Mm...Sure..." she said, half-asleep.

Ben then jumped into the pool, startling some girls that were playing with a beach ball. When he surfaced, those girls leered at him, water dripping from their wet hair.

"Sorry ladies," he said, winking and giving his trademark Ben Tennyson smirk. That instantly sent some of the girls into giggling fits.

Ben then turned away and began to swim, the cold water still constricting his lungs. He knew that a cold shower worked best against _those _kinds of situations, so a cold swim was no different.

But the images of Gwen's body flashed across his mind countless times, making the teen almost unable to swim properly.

_Oh man…_Ben groaned, getting out of the pool, fearing he'll drown sooner or later.

Plopping back down on his chair, he turned to see Gwen yawning.

"Sleepy, dear?" he asked, Gwen biting her bottom lip. "Don't push your luck, Ben," she said, the boy resisting a laugh.

Then he got an idea. "Hey, Gwen, look over there," he said, getting up to look walk to the poolside.

What, what is it?" Gwen asked, taking off her sunglasses as she got up to stand next to Ben.

"What is it, dweeb? I don't see anything," she said, hands on her hips.

"Oh, my bad, then," Ben said, stifling a chuckle. And with that, he pushed her into the pool.

He heard Gwen squeal for a split-second before the louder splash drowned it out –literally.

Clutching onto his sides as he laughed hard, Ben pointed out a humiliating finger at Gwen as she burst out of the water.

"Benjamin Tennyson!!" she yelled, Ben only continuing to laugh at her.

Growling, she then snapped her fingers.

Ben didn't know what happened until it was too late. His feet seemed to suddenly jerk up without him even moving it before he flipped –literally- into the water.

Surfacing, he could hear the wonderful laugh that he knew could only come from Gwen.

"You used magic! No fair!" Ben seethed, but not loud enough for the other people around to hear.

Gwen only stopped laughing to smile sweetly at him. "You use what you got, babe," she said, winking.

The boy sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, drying it slightly. He knew he could never stay angry at her. It was a 2nd nature already.

Ben then swam closer to Gwen, planning something in his mind.

Gwen only tilted her head sideways in curiosity as Ben waded closer to her. Then she almost yelped as Ben embraced her in the water.

"B-Ben!" she gasped as her cousin wrapped his arms around her, their almost-fully bare skins touching each other's beneath the cold water.

"Let go of me, you dweeb!" she hissed, trying to let herself go from him, but failing miserably.

"Struggling only makes me hug tighter," he reasoned, running his hands through her back. She stifled a moan as Ben's touch proceeded to such unexplored spaces.

"Feeling good, aren't we?" he cooed, his smooth strong voice only making things far more complicated.

"Not in public, dweeb…" she moaned.

_Ah…gotcha._

"So you want us to go to somewhere more…_private_?" he asked, his left hand squeezing her rear.

"Mnhn! Ben~!" she pleaded, almost powerless in his custody.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. But I _know _you're enjoying this as well," Ben said wistfully, but still smiling sweetly at her.

"What makes you say that?" she asked, biting her bottom lip. She was trying to defend herself, then.

"Your left leg's wrapped around me," Ben whispered tentatively.

Gwen's eyes widened as she realized that Ben was right. She didn't even notice her left leg around Ben, bridging whatever gap that existed between them.

She then looked away, blushing deeply. Ben knew her previous actions were done by instinct, so he only smiled wider as he kissed her once on the cheek.

"Y'know Gwen, you're so cute when you're like that," Ben said, Gwen pouting.

"Oh shaddup," she muttered, still red.

The brown-haired teen only laughed as he brushed Gwen's hair with one of his hands.

Gwen noticed that it meant that Ben had slightly loosened his grip on her, but she was now beyond intending to escape.

She flexed her arms a little, freeing her hands which she used to cup Ben's face, catching him by surprise.

"Huh? Gwen?" he said as Gwen then pulled him into a kiss.

It wasn't as hormonal or as feisty as their other ones, but Ben appreciated it nonetheless.

Gwen was kissing Ben with such soft tenderness that he couldn't help but just respond with his arms softly wrapped on her hips.

The pool itself was shallow enough that it reached for both cousins' chests only.

When the kiss ended, Gwen looked around to see that no other people were staring at them, nor were there any who were the least fazed by 2 people kissing right in the middle of the pool.

"So does this eliminate the _yet_ factor?" he asked with a grin as he let go of her, Gwen hitting him on the shoulder again.

"I didn't say anything about that, dweeb," she said, taking out her tongue at him.

"Aww…that's my Gwen," he said, pulling her closer to him again.

"Ah, not so fast, Ben!" she said, sidestepping as Ben lunged for her, making him fall face-first into the water.

When he surfaced again, he could hear the laughter once more.

"Not funny, Gwen," he said, shaking his head to get rid of the water.

"Hey, we're even," she said, playfully pointing out a finger at him.

"Even?" Ben asked reproachfully, running his hand through his hair. "I got doused twice, woman!"

Gwen only laughed, swimming a little closer to Ben.

"You came onto me in the middle of a crowded pool and seduced me, Ben. I think that getting doused twice is an adequate compensation, wouldn't you agree?" she asked, her beautiful eyes staring seductively at him.

"Well _I _for one am not going let this deed go unpunished, my dear naïve cousin," Ben retorted with a grin, grabbing Gwen firmly on the shoulders again.

This time she didn't resist him, more over her grin widened when he bridged the distance between them once again.

"Don't you ever get bored of doing this routine?" she asked with a giggle, Ben frowning a little.

"What? You're already bored of me sweeping you off your feet?" he asked, his red-headed cousin laughing softly.

"No, not that, dummy. I'm just telling you to try something new, for goodness sake," Gwen replied with another tinkle.

Yet another sly thought crossed Ben's mind as he then carried Gwen towards the deeper –and more empty- area of the pool.

"Ben? What are you doing?" she asked, the boy merely shrugging.

"Trying something new," he said before pressing her gently against the wall, the water almost reaching their necks.

"By what? Making out with me in the deeper area?" she asked, half-chuckling.

"In a way," he said as he kissed her gently. And with that, one of his hands softly caressed her right breast, Gwen's shriek muffled by the contact of Ben's lips to hers.

"Mmm! Mmm!!" she struggled as Ben ran his hands further over his cousin's breasts, making her moan with each gentle stroke.

When he finally broke the kiss, Gwen almost wanted to yell at him before he placed a finger on her soft, smooth lips.

"Sssh…just enjoy the ride, won't ya?" he asked, Gwen then scowling.

"How _dare_ you touch me like that, Benjamin Carlyle Tennyson!" she hissed, soft enough to go unheard to anyone else near the pool.

"What? Don't tell me you didn't like it," he said, looking at her suspiciously.

"It's not that, dumbass!" she growled, hitting him on the chest, the water dampening her blow. "You _molested _me, you pervert!"

"Technically~" Ben said, wrapping himself around her. "Since we're a couple, it's more like me feeling you up, innit?"

Gwen leered at him as her face turned red yet again. "We're _not _a couple," she said icily.

"Yes we are," Ben said in singsong, pulling her head closer to his.

"No we're not," she retorted, this time in a much weaker tone.

"Oh yes we are," he said, his breath tickling her nose as she could barely keep her eyes open.

"No…We're…not…" she fought back one last time before Ben's lips came into contact for the umpteenth time with hers.

Unlike the previous 2 kisses, this one was rather ferocious in nature, Ben's tongue fighting against Gwen's as the both ran their hands shamelessly around each other's bodies, the water's reflection obscuring their obscene acts.

Ben then massaged Gwen's breasts firmly, her soft moans barely escaping her lips as Ben wouldn't even let go of her lips with his.

"Mmm…Ben…" Gwen moaned as she stroked the fabric between Ben's legs, sending shivers down his spine.

"Mmm…did I hit a soft spot?" she asked, Ben ceasing his actions as Gwen began to massage that particular area in earnest.

"Ah, hey, no fair…" he groaned, Gwen giggling sultrily.

"You took advantage of me, now I'm returning the favor, babe," she said, Ben unable to proceed further as Gwen practically squeezed him.

"Gah!" he winced.

Gwen paused for a second as she felt the bulge in Ben's swimming shorts grow larger, to her surprise.

_He's not fully aroused yet? _She thought.

"Ohoho, so the little boy hasn't fully grown yet, eh?" she asked teasingly, much to Ben's chagrin.

"Ow! Hey, since when have you been so controlling?" Ben asked, the auburn-haired girl only giggling.

"Oh Ben, you asked for trouble, so I'll _give _you trouble," she said with a smirk.

Ben only moaned softly as Gwen fondled him further, restricting his state of mobility.

"Gwen, this isn't funny…" Ben warned, Gwen kissing his bottom lip.

"Mmm…I know, dear…This isn't funny. It's just _fun_," she said, and put one of Ben's hands onto her breasts.

Looking questioningly at her, Gwen only pouted sexily at him. "Oh c'mon, you can't expect yourself to be the only one getting something outta this, can you?"

Ben couldn't figure whether to count it in as a good thing or not, what with the lines that separated them both beginning to fade away very quickly…

But the brown-haired boy decided that it didn't matter. Gwen was his right here and right now, and that was all that mattered. Nothing else did, not for that small window of time they had.

And with that, Ben unclasped Gwen's bikini in one fell motion, and that made all the difference.

Regrets would have to come later. Right now Ben was _having fun_ with his cousin.

Good, clean, _fun_.

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**A/N:** _Omigosh, this is like the shortest chapter ever! And it took me bloody forever to update!_

_Shit, you'd think that Graphic Design would be an easy thing to do, but hell no…_

_I'm drowned in assignments and my mum nagging me about spending too much time on my laptop…_

_Leave me be, woman!_

_Haha…anyway, I'll try and update soon, yeah?_

_Please forgive me for making such a short chapter. _

_Honestly, I'd make it much longer if I had a choice…_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**_**:**__ Hey! I'm sorry for not being able to update since –err…the invention of the light bulb? Honestly, college life isn't easy. Seriously._

_**Chapter 5: Want, or Need?**_

"I hate you, Benjamin."

"I love you too, _Gwendolyn_."

"I hate you…" Gwen grumbled, leaning back against the couch as the RV rumbled down the highway.

"Listen, I said I'm sorry. Can we like, not do this?" Ben asked, hands clasped in a mock praying stance.

"I had him, Ben. _I had him!_ Why did you have to knock him out before I did it?" Gwen growled, Ben flinching.

"I was worried about you!" Ben said defensively, carefully controlling his tone. "I didn't wanna leave it to chance, y'know? Remember the bank heist last week?"

Gwen harrumphed while staring out the window, but her expression fell soon enough. Ben decided to move in for the finishing touch.

He moved swiftly from his seat across hers, breaking that invisible wall that seemed almost impenetrable just a second earlier.

He discreetly held her hand in his, careful to not give Grandpa any hints.

"When you almost got shot by that bank thief, my heart almost _died_ there and then, Gwen. I couldn't let the same thing happen when we fought Six-Six yesterday," Ben said soothingly, Gwen pouting just a little.

"Ben, I can handle things by myself. I'm a strong girl," Gwen said, finally smiling as Ben chuckled.

He gave Gwen a daring peck on the cheek as he wrapped his arm around her, all the while his actions invisible to Grandpa Max, who just honked at a passing motorcycle.

"I know you are, babe. I just love ya too much to see anything bad happen to you," Ben said with another of his famous cheeky grins.

"Oh? So was _that_ why you always shielded me from attacks during our first summer together?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ben didn't immediately answer. His grin turned into a crooked smile as he tried to suppress the laugh that was dying to come out. "Well….in a way…" he said after awhile, Gwen giggling.

"Then thank you for all you've done for these past years, Benjamin Tennyson," Gwen said, turning his face towards hers, and after stealing a quick glance to Grandpa, she kissed Ben softly on the lips.

"Amazing, isn't it? A few weeks ago you were still adamant about us _not being a couple_, but now look you, all kissy with me," Ben smirked, Gwen turning pink.

"Damn you," she said, slapping his shoulder as he chuckled.

"I haven't decided as of yet, Ben. I just…like kissing you, that's all," she said, her voice trailing lower and lower. He chuckled at her rather flimsy denial.

"Goodness, Gwen. Just admit that you wanna be my girlfriend already," he said, still laughing gently. Gwen pursed her lips, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Oh fine then, I wanna be your girl. Happy?" she asked, crossing her arms. Ben felt rather surprised. Gwen was never this submissive over something like this.

"Really? No protests? No hits to any of my appendages?" Ben asked, tilting his head slightly to the left. Gwen almost laughed at Ben's expression. It reminded her of Ben's pet dog, as cute as it was.

"No, Ben. You want me? You got me, okay?" she asked, rubbing her nose against his. Ben gave his toothy grin and kissed her forehead before standing up. "I'd like that, Gwen. You're mine, and I'm yours," he said.

"That's a nice way to put it. You're not so dumb after all," she said with her cheeky grin in place, Ben huffing.

"I'd be a fool any day of the year for you, Gwen," he said, winking as she giggled softly. Ben then reached into the fridge to find something edible for tonight. Grandpa had earlier offered to reheat his notorious dung-beetle stew.

"Gwen? Where's that leftover pizza from yesterday?" Ben asked, pushing aside several containers of choice leftovers both he and Gwen saved for just the right _occasions_.

"It's in the white box, next to the 5-week-old yogurt," Gwen replied, Ben cringing. The yogurt expired weeks ago, but remained in the fridge as an 'experiment for utter curiosity'. Ben reckoned a monster would grow from it. Gwen figured it would just corrode out of the fridge.

"A First Aid kit box. Very funny, Gwen," Ben said, taking out the white box with the all-too-familiar red cross on it. Gwen snickered, shrugging as Grandpa Max remained oblivious to the conversation. He was too busy humming to _Let It Be._

Ben opened the box to reveal a few slices of pizzas, some fries and a chicken drumstick. "Meh, it'll have to do," Ben said, placing the box in front of Gwen.

She took a look at it and closed the lid. "There's bound to be something else in there, right? Can't we cook for tonight?" she asked, handing Ben the box.

He shrugged, sitting back next to her. "I'll think of something. We still have some things left that I can rustle up," Ben said.

"Rustle up? We're eating out tonight, Ben," Grandpa Max said, looking back for a fraction of a second. "We're in New Orleans, after all. I bet you missed the Cajun-style Salmon, eh?"

Ben's face lit up visibly as Gwen giggled. "I still remember the crawfish incident 5 years back, Grandpa," she said before bursting out, laughing with Grandpa Max as Ben scowled.

"No fair. Gwen's Lucky Girl powers made that happen," Ben said with a slight tinge of dissatisfaction in his voice.

"Hey, lucky is lucky, dweeb. You gotta live with it," she said with a slight arrogance to her voice, Ben looking at her reproachfully. She then got up and hugged him, kissing him once on the lips while whispering "Sorry, Ben. Need to lead Gramps off the trail."

"You owe me tonight, Gwen," he said, groping her left rear. Gwen squealed as she jumped. "Ben!" she hissed, slapping his shoulder –again.

"Hehe, just kidding, babe," he said before tossing the white box back into the fridge and shutting it. But he could have sworn that he heard a growl as the box hit the yogurt cup.

*

It was almost near midnight when the 3 of them came back from the town's festivities. It wasn't exactly Mardi Gras yet, but they wouldn't pass that celebration down for anything.

"Listen, kids, I've still got some things to do before we all turn in for the night. Think you can hold the fort without me?" Grandpa Max asked while leaning on the open door, both cousins only nodding at him.

"Alright then. Behave you two. No more fights, got that?"

"Right Gramps," Ben said, turning on the television.

Gwen murmured her reply as she continued to type away on her laptop.

"Meh, they'll be fine," Grandpa Max muttered to himself as he closed the door.

And with that fact evident, Ben immediately got up slowly to sit next to Gwen, who only averted her attention for a second.

"What is it, Ben?' she asked, continuing to type on her laptop.

"What's all this work 'bout, Gwen?" he asked, looking at the screen. He spotted words like _hypothesis_, _conclusion_, _thesis_ and _research_.

"Homework? You're doing your homework?" Ben asked, clearly in disbelief.

"Yes Ben, homework. _Summer_ homework," she said, still typing.

Ben shuddered.

"I know I've said this many times, but the words _summer_ and anything to do with _work_ don't match up. Ever."

"Maybe not on _your_ world, dweeb, but it does in mine. And that's the difference between an A-average student and a C-average one," she said, sticking out her tongue at him.

Ben didn't like being picked-on when it came to his studies, so he did something he knew Grandpa Max never would've approved of.

He crashed his lips hungrily on Gwen's, his tongue already fighting against hers. Gwen's eyes went as wide as they could for a nanosecond before she closed them, utterly in bliss.

She happily responded to Ben's actions, their tongues engaged in a war of passion. It stirred up so much bottled-up tensions –sexual or otherwise.

"Mmf…Ben…" she moaned, trying her best to fight it back. Her better judgment screamed that Grandpa could burst through that door any second now, and she _really_ needed to get back to work.

But her body said otherwise. Grandpa could take all night for all she knew, and she _really_ wanted Ben so bad. Screw homework. She'd get an A anyway.

Ben's hands travelled on forbidden territory, causing her to groan and squirm to his touch. "Ben…not there…" she whimpered, weakly resisting his advances. She loved it, but she had to know when to draw the line.

"Ben…stop…B-Ben, _stop_," she said, dropping her voice dead serious on the last bit, Ben truly stopping as he was halfway squeezing her…._assets_.

It caused Gwen to let out an involuntary moan –one that left Ben unconsciously licking his lips.

"_Ben!_" she cried, and he chuckled, letting go of Gwen.

"That's all you're getting for tonight, sweetie. Can't have all the fun over and done with in one night alone, now can't we?"

"You're such a damn tease, Benjamin Tennyson…" Gwen growled, huffing back to her work as Ben got off from her side of the sofa.

"Wow…Our folks -or Grandpa for that matter- would've never expected you to say that in a million years," Ben chuckled, Gwen raising her eyebrows at him.

_Oh God…how I love those eyes of hers…_Ben sighed internally.

"What _would_ we tell them, in the future?"

Now that caught Ben off-guard.

"Eh?"

"We'll need to tell them someday, wouldn't we? I mean, we can't keep this relationship a secret forever, right?"

Ben didn't want to dabble on that topic because honestly, he didn't know how to answer her. Would they have to bring this up to their parents next time? Sure, Grandpa may be able to take it, but Mr. and Mrs. Tennyson –both versions- would be a different story altogether.

"I really have no idea Gwen…but…let's not worry 'bout that now, eh?" Ben asked, getting onto her side of the sofa again after pacing the RV for a few seconds. He crept up to her as Gwen slowly shifted to the side. She wasn't all that used to Ben's physical contact yet, though she craved for it so much. Irony was beautiful sometimes.

"Let's just enjoy what we have right now, and let the future come as it may," Ben said before grazing his lips against his redhead cousin's.

It was one of the few innocent kisses they shared, only their lips softly pressed against each other's. Still, it sent electricity down their spines, smiles up their united lips, hands through each other's hair.

Gwen always tasted like strawberries, her skin heavenly scented with peach. Ben almost laughed when he remembered back then how he chided how much she smelled like a fruit salad.

Ben would never complain about eating fruit salad ever again, then.

"Ben…I don't want us to end, ever," she said weakly, and Ben caught her in a full embrace. It was her warmth, her presence there and then that he wanted. And he knew deep down that this was what she wanted too. The way she hugged him back said it all.

*

Max was beyond sleepy by the time he got back. What was supposed to be an hour or less, shopping for some ingredients he thought he saw to make his long-forgotten Dung-beetle Stew, turned into a 3-hour scavenger hunt for every single last ingredient for –no, not the stew- but even better, Sea Urchin Omelet made from Quail Eggs. He remembered how he used to cook them for Frank, Lily, Carl and Sandra last time and it'd all disappear by the time he came back from the kitchen. However, Carl and Sandra's dog seemed to have larger portions of leftovers than usual on those days too…

_Oh well, coincidences,_ Max thought as he fumbled for keys to the RV door. Truth be told, the biometric scanners would've detected him even if he just touched the handle.

Max brushed that aside too as he got in and placed the ingredients in the counter.

The entire RV was almost shrouded in darkness of the pure pool sky, so he could've barely made up the shapes on Ben's side of the bed.

Sure, Ben was there, as his snoring was unmistakable. However, it was the presence of another figure shifting beside him that caught Max by surprise.

_They're sharing beds?_ Max thought, rubbing his chin.

Whatever is was, Max was happy that at least they were finally bonding –one way, or another.

--------------------------------

**A/N**_: There you go. Short, simple. Ugh, I promise I'll try and make longer chapters next time, yeah?_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**_**:**__ I'm REALLY sorry for taking way too long on this piece. College and the overall twang of not wanting to write has been hovering over me like a swarm of bees. ==_

_**Chapter 6: Words or Weapons?**_

* * *

Ben Tennyson knew he was in for trouble.

_Hell hath no wrath than a woman scorn...dammit, why couldn't I have listened?_

"You have some _nerve_, Benjamin Tennyson!"

Ben had to duck to avoid the magicked encyclopedia that was flying straight for his face, narrowly missing it.

The navy blue book thudded onto the RV wall, then plopping to the ground, Ben observing it for a good second.

It was a mistake on his part, as Gwen then lunged at him, growling as her fine manicured fingernails were all aimed at Ben's face.

Ben knew how to avoid that too, having experienced worse things aimed at him. Still...

'You are gonna be _so sorry_ once I get my hands on you!" she shrieked at him, Ben almost genuinely terrified. Gwen really did looks scary when she was mad.

"I already _am_ sorry, Gwen. C'mon, lighten up already!" Ben pleaded in the most un-pleading manner, only aggravating the auburn-haired teen.

"Lighten up? _Lighten up?? _You _spied _on me while I was showering! How is _that_ something I can forgive that easily?!" she yelled, trying to levitate the entire stove at Ben.

_Thank God that Grandpa's busy getting supplies..._ Ben thought, deciding to embrace Gwen to prevent her from actually lifting off the stove. He could've sworn he saw the kitchen block unhinge ever so slightly before he stopped her.

"Let...me...go!" she growled, unable to break free of Ben's bear hug. And since he was embracing her full-on, she couldn't even try to bite him as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Babe, we both know I'll win this one, hands down. Well, not down _now_, but..." Ben trailed off, Gwen's emerald green eyes threatening to glare a hole through Ben's head.

She then hissed at him.

_Hissed??_

"Not...something I'd expect from you," Ben said to good measure, Gwen then struggling.

_Screw you..._the auburn-haired girl growled almost silently, only amusing Ben further.

"In due time, love," he said, barely hiding the chuckle he had.

He then took her lips in his in a manner the girl never knew he had. He did it gingerly, as if it was the first kiss they ever had.

And Gwen had no way to deny she enjoyed it.

It was just the lips that came into contact. No tongue, no blazing flares of lust. Just...kissing.

Ben shifted his embrace on her slightly more upwards, but not loosening it one bit. Gwen, who now had a little more arm movement, wrapped her own arms around Ben's hips. All was forgiven.

They broke the kiss to gasp for air, their breaths hot and heavy. "I love you," Ben said, Gwen knowing his sincerity was unquestionable.

"I love you too, Ben. But if you ever peek on me again," she said, her tone daring to go icy once more.

Ben tightened the embrace he had on her and buried his head in her neck, making the girl squirm ever so much.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But Gwen..." he said, his hands separating to travel upwards and downwards alike.

"You're _irresistible_," he finished with an almost feral undertone, and it sent shivers down her spine.

Grandpa's away again, and Ben often loved to...explore her –clothed, though- and Gwen found the hormonal teen girl liking it, though the mature 20-something in her head that was bored of playing doctor kept throwing metaphorical peanuts at her, going on the lines of "What if he takes it too far?"

_Well I *know* when too far is too far, okay? _she bit back, and found herself yelping mere seconds later. _Oh damn that felt good...._

_Well? Is *that* too far?_ the woman in her asked with a tone she didn't like.

"Ben...I don't think I ever gave you permission to -_ah!- _touch me there!" Gwen hissed in the end, that brief second making her wish it lasted longer. Well, she could, if Ben was willing. _Very _willing.

"Well...explorations tend to lead to..._striking gold_, would it?" he asked, flicking his finger once more against such a fragile fabric.

Gwen almost cried out if it she didn't force her own lips onto his. Grandpa or no Grandpa, moaning out loud wasn't part of the repertoire. Yet.

"_Mmmf_...Ben..." she groaned out huskily, Ben himself only grunting out a response. Hormones tend to emphasize that actions spoke louder than words.

It wasn't long before they both got engrossed in trying to one-up each other, Gwen forgetting the very argument that she placed against Ben.

Ben abandoned his valiant fight against Gwen's lush red lips and began nibbling at the base of her neck, relishing in the soft, supple texture of her skin.

Gwen groaned out her approval of Ben's venture, grasping at his chestnut hair.

"Alright, I think that's enough sugar for one day," Gwen said, half-cursing her self-restraint.

Ben reluctantly obeyed the order, slowly sliding his hand off her, but not before giving her a light peck on her left breast.

"Ah! _Ben!_" she squealed.

"Couldn't resist, love," he said, winking.

_One day...one day, I'll get to do that _without_ her clothes on_...he sniggered.

Getting up fully, Ben then realized that all they did just now was on the floor of the RV, and it reminded him of the many times they used to wrestle and struggle on that same spot years back.

"What? What's so funny?" Gwen asked, readjusting her t-shirt.

Ben couldn't imagine any bigger of a turn-on.

There Gwen laid, hair in a wonderful tousled mess of auburn, t-shirt wrinkled and messed-up and her body almost eagle-spread.

"Nah, just thinking how we used to mess around on that same spot a few years back, remember? We were practically making out back then, too," he said, mischievously at that.

Gwen looked around for a good few seconds. The table legs were on her left, and the plate cabinet was on her right. Ben was right; this was the usual spot they used to tangle in for years. It sent a warm tingle down her spine when she remembered just _how_ close they were when they had their physical bouts.

Since they were only 10, they couldn't have cared less about where they touched each other. And there was _a lot_ of touching, none of them intentional, mind.

"Would've been hot, wouldn't it? Us getting touchy-feely at that age?" Ben suggested, Gwen's face growing red. Ben then proceeded to crawl over her and whispered into her ear.

"And you weren't even wearing a bra back then."

Gwen instantaneously squealed at Ben's risqué comment, the boy getting off her.

And Ben couldn't get that image off his mind, either. A 10-year old version of Gwen, all feisty and tomboyish, with that notoriously body-hugging t-shirt of hers, splayed-out on the floor just like the 15-year old vixen version right now....

He forcibly shook that image off, trying to keep his head straight.

"You're getting more perverted, I swear," Gwen muttered sheepishly, walking past Ben.

"Hey, we all have our own sets of fantasies, right?" Ben said defensively, but with that boyish hint to it that Gwen adored.

Gwen had her own, sure, but she'd rather not let Ben get a hold of them until later. _Much_ later.

*

"Hey kids, miss me?" Grandpa Max asked as soon as he burst through the RV's creaky door. It was a living irony how that same door was still able to take a direct hit from an RPG and not have the slightest hint of a dent.

Both cousins were just moments ago cuddling on the sofa, watching the miniature TV until Grandpa's intrusion sparked the _Hands-Off Protocol_ –as Ben liked to call it.

"Yeah, we did, Grandpa. What did you get?" Ben asked, both of them used to these surprise situations and lost the nervousness that usually came with the risk of being busted.

"Oh, glad you asked, Ben," Grandpa said, both cousins looking at each other questioningly.

They both then turned to see Grandpa Max unloading several plastic bags full of milk, cheese, bread, butter, bacon, cereal and…fishing worms?

"Err…Grandpa? You're not gonna _cook_ them, are you?" Gwen asked, slightly gulping.

"What, _these_?" Grandpa Max asked, lifting the can of worms. He then chuckled rather appreciatively. "Don't be silly!"

Both Tennysons sighed as they slouched back onto their seats, quietly high-fiving each other.

"They're bait for the eels we're gonna catch down the river. Which reminds me, you both better get your rubber gloves on later."

Both cousins cringed. _Oh no._

* * *

**A/N: **_OMG, it's been like, *forever* since I last posted something for the fandom, so here you guys go. Hope you guys aren't too mad. _


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**_**:**__ Surprised I got another one through by this month? XD Alright everyone, I'd better get things going again when the momentum's there. Just hope those of you who're still writing better help me make sure the fandom doesn't just wither away, 'kay? =)_

_**Chapter 7: Orz. Period.**_

He knew he was in trouble.

No, not from Gwen this time (at least).

Still, bullet's flying at your immediate direction doesn't seem to be that much of a consolation, either.

Safely ducked behind some random car that conveniently served as a shield for the hail-fire of lead, Ben could only silently thank the owner of said car.

_His insurance company's gonna have a cow with this one…_

Swearing profusely at the black-and-white device that now glowed red on his wrist, Ben only hoped that Gwen was faring out better.

Wait, he could check up on her.

"Gwen, how's things on your end?" he asked into the little earpiece he had on.

"Fine. I heard the watch time out earlier. You okay?" her disembodied voice came through, along with the distinct sound of bullets ricocheting off Gwen's light blue energy shield.

"In some sense…" Ben muttered, trying to get some point of view as to how deep in this mess he was in. He was welcomed by shattered glass and several whizzes of what he knew were automatic rifle rounds.

_Don't they *ever* run out of ammo?_

"Come on, work, work!" Ben hissed, trying out the several buttons that actually worked on the Omnitrix, all to no avail. It still persistently glowed red.

_At least they don't have gren-_

Then a dull thud came from the car's hood, mere inches from Ben's head.

He looked to his left to see a green blur slowly make its way to the ground from the hood, and it took him a good whole second to recognize what it was. And he cursed karma for being so quick on him.

_Grenade!!!_

Acting on instinct –or at least what Grandpa Max trained him to do once the situation arises- Ben took the grenade and lobbed it as far as he could away from him, not caring about the 5-second timer he had. Even if he had 2-3 seconds left, it was better than nothing.

He immediately pinned himself on the ground, and the grenade went off somewhere ahead of the car. The shooting ceased for a moment or so, clearly they were terrified of the prospect of being fragged by their own grenade.

"Ben? Ben! Are you alright?!"

It took awhile for the boy to answer. He'd been in life-risking situations more times than he could count his old Sumo Slammers collection, but this was one of the closest.

He could've been hurt. Really badly. Or worse.

No, now was not the time to think about that. There was Gwen to think about. There were the half dozen men out there armed to the teeth and not too happy about their botched bank heist.

"Don't push yourself, Ben. I'll be right over," Grandpa Max's voice came into the comlink he and Gwen shared.

"No, Grandpa. I'll handle them," Ben said, without thinking.

"Don't kid yourself, Ben. The Omnitrix's out, and you're suppressed. I'm making my way over there," Grandpa said, in a tone that Ben's always dreaded. He was dead serious.

"Gwen! Can you take them out from here?" Ben heard Grandpa growl into the frequency, though he couldn't make out Gwen's reply.

He was way too disappointed at himself for letting this happen. He didn't want them to save him. He didn't want to feel weak, to feel entirely powerless without the Omnitrix.

He already knew that.

"Gwen, I'm going to lay down some cover fire while I pick up Ben. You'll have time to take 'em out by then," Grandpa Max commanded over the comlink, Gwen acknowledging it.

Nothing more than a second later, the RV swerved from one of the corners of the street and immediately in the way of the crossfire, shielding Ben.

The RV's door opened as Grandpa's voice's bellowed from the inside.

"Ben! Get in!"

Without waiting for Ben's response, an automatic launcher appeared from the RV's roof and fired several smoke grenades that immediately exploded on the shooters' direction, engulfing them in a choking cloud of grey smoke.

Gwen took that opportunity to cast a spell she had thought would be fitting for this.

Not needing to recite the spell, Gwen summoned 2 energy walls and brought them together on the rough estimated position of the shooters, who were still covered in that smog. The distinct sound of the walls coming together and the yells of several of the men told her she hit home.

She then lifted the make-shift clamp, lifting both men and guns, and slammed them onto the other side of the road.

The concussive force of the blow didn't physically harm them, but was more than enough to knock them out. Gwen then released her grip on them, but not on the guns.

"_Magentia Vitium!" _she yelled, magnetizing every magnetic object that was attached to the men's clothes, guns and all.

Once all their firearms were obtained, Gwen simply crushed them with that same energy wall.

_Just wait till the cops show up…_

"Gwen, Ben's in. Time to go," Grandpa said, and Gwen couldn't trace even a hint of disappointment, or anything else in his tone.

"Alright, on my way," she said, turning around to stride back to the RV.

Another day's work, done. Should've been as simple as that, but no, something was wrong.

_Ben._

"Ben..is everything okay?"

It was dangerous waters to tread on, she knew that. He could just as easily blow his top. It wasn't the first time it happened.

Ben, who was brooding by the sofa as Grandpa cruised down the highway, only blinked once, his eyes staring off into some unknown distance.

Gwen did not dare to shake him or something, fearing the worst. Still, it didn't stop her from laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Ben? It's not about the Omnitrix, is it?"

Ben finally gingerly grasped her hand in return, but not looking at her.

_Maybe he just needs my comfort…_Gwen thought, remaining in that position and leaning her head on his shoulder. She had a little difficulty with her hand on the same shoulder, but she compensated.

She closed her eyes for the briefest second, only to be interrupted by a soft mutter from Ben.

"…I'm useless…"

"What?" she asked, fully sitting up and staring right into Ben's face, which was still looking out the window. She knew she heard him right.

"I'm useless without the Omnitrix," Ben continued. What happened next was a long, painful second of utter silence.

Gwen didn't really know how to react to this. The last time Ben doubted himself over being 'completely useless' was when he was around 13, when he almost got trashed by Animo just because the Omnitrix timed out, and he wasn't in a position to take full advantage of being his regular self.

"Ben…you're not useless. Well, not completely, anyway," Gwen said, with that playful nudge in her voice that Ben knew was in no way meant to be offensive.

Even what Gwen thought was a crack of a smile crept up his lips.

"Ben, we've had his talk before, remember?" she said, this time a bit more serious.

Ben nodded. Gwen _never_ liked to be ignored, especially after asking a question.

"This is what we've been training for, remember? Have you already forgotten the karate I've been teaching you? Or Grandpa's judo training with you?" Gwen asked, Ben nodding again.

Both Grandpa and Gwen have indeed been teaching Ben some martial arts to defend himself in his regular form, knowing the need would arise sometime.

"I know, but I can't back-throw a guy who's got an AK on me, can't I?" he replied grumpily. A trademark Ben gesture.

"Well, maybe you could borrow some of Grandpa's gear next time. There's bound to be some sorta cool shield around here, right, Grandpa?" Gwen offered.

"Well…" Grandpa said, trying his best to recall just how much Plumber gear he actually has in the RV.

"There is this bullet-proof shield that automatically pops out of an umbrella. Good for undercover work."

"But not for me when I have to actually fight without looking like some freaky British gentleman running around with an umbrella," Ben said, trying his best not to laugh. Gwen wasn't doing much of a good job at that, either.

"Oh," Grandpa said, sounding genuinely surprised. "Well…" he continued, possibly to find out some other means of getting Ben something.

"Remember that blaster in the left drawer? You could bring it along, y'know, just in case," Grandpa offered.

Ben rarely used real weapons, though he never minded them. He remembered his highest kill score was Vilgax's whole loads of drones back when they were saving Asmuth.

"See? You're not useless, Ben. Not in the least," Gwen said, hugging him.

Ben had to hand it to them. Family was the only one thing you could depend on the most when you were down in the dumps.

"Thanks," Ben said, kissing Gwen briefly on the cheeks. Any longer could risk Grandpa noticing it.

For the better part of half-an-hour, both cousins spent it rather quietly as Ben was reading a book (surprised?) and Gwen was typing away on her laptop.

"Won't you get carsick from reading in a moving vehicle, Ben?" the redhead asked out of a sudden, Ben shrugging.

"After awhile. But I'm dead bored, so I'd rather do this," he said.

_Hmph, just when I thought he was reading without feeling forced, for once…_she scoffed.

Asides from the occasional glances at the never-ending highway, Gwen felt that her face was almost completely glued to the laptop screen. Wait…it was.

"Grandpa, how long 'till we get there?" she asked, Grandpa Max chuckling.

"Now _that_ is something I haven't heard for a long time. Getting bored?" he asked, Gwen shrugging.

"Quite," she said, taking a look at Ben. He was asleep on the other end of the two-way sofa, the book over his face. _Typical._

"Not for long. We'll reach Vegas before the end of the hour," Grandpa said, looking at the rear-view mirror. Gwen was on the laptop, again, and he could see Ben's legs sticking out of the sofa's end. _Typical_.

"Couldn't we just use the Super-Duper Turbo?" Gwen asked. All of them never found another way of calling the RV's alternate mode, so the name stuck on through the years.

"Now you know that's only meant for emergencies. Besides, folks here have more than enough stories of extra-terrestrial vehicle sightings," Grandpa said, and Gwen laughed.

Las Vegas. Nevada. Area 51. What was not obvious?

"Well, I'm going to take a short nap then. Wake us up when we get there, Grandpa," Gwen said, closing the lid of her laptop and lying on the sofa. If only she could do that with Ben by her side.

"Ben? Gwen? C'mon, time to get up, you two."

Ben felt the tug on his leg, and he budged ever so slightly.

He could hear Gwen's sleepy moans as she too tried to get up.

_Well, that's invigorating_.

Getting up fully and stretching himself, Ben heard Grandpa Max calling out to him.

"Ben, get your cousin up, will ya? We've reached the motel," he said, Ben sleepily replying as Grandpa disappeared out of the front door..

He trudged his way over to Gwen's side, and with no intention of getting her up the conventional way, he plopped himself down right next to her.

The very small seating area meant Ben had to cuddle up to Gwen (which he didn't mind), though he wasn't so sure how Gwen would take it. He was too sleepy to care, at any rate.

_Now where are those darned kids?_ Grandpa Max thought as he scratched the back of his head (an old habit), opening the Rust Bucket's door and stepping in.

He looked left. No, they weren't at the bunk beds with an overnight bag ready or something.

He looked right. No, no heads sticking out of the sofa's top edge.

He did however make out Ben and Gwen's respective shoes, still in their same spot. And two pairs of feet sticking out of the sofa's end. _The same end_.

Raising a slightly graying eyebrow, Grandpa Max walked over a little more to encounter something he hasn't seen in years. Literally.

Ben and Gwen were both snuggled up to each other on the very cramped seat, Gwen's arms secured around herself while Ben had one arm loosely wrapped around Gwen.

_Not since they were 5 years old…_.Grandpa reminisced.

He didn't have the heart to wake them up, so he leaned on the sink and crossed his arms, just looking at them.

And thinking.

They were just this close, if not closer when they were younger. Heck, they were inseparable. Since they were little, they did almost everything together. They played together, they ran around the park together, they even bathed together.

_Boy, will they get a kick outta that one…_Grandpa sniggered.

Then Frank got a job opportunity outside of Bellwood, and the family had to move. He remembered hearing both Lily and Sandra complaining to him how both kids wouldn't stop crying for days. Even Ken whined about how he couldn't stand his little sister's constant wailing.

"Let her live with Ben, then!" he said once. Cute.

They were 8 years old then. Almost an entire year after they'd have last seen each other, they met again for a big-time family reunion. The one where Ben thought his Uncle Manny was- what, Bigfoot?

Gwen was slightly more tomboy-ish than before, taking karate and whatnot, and Ben was slightly more brash. Needless to say things didn't start out well between the 2, all fond memories forgotten to their younger days.

And both thought they had some sort of made-up virus in each other called _cooties _(whatever that meant).

All in all, Max was thankful that what happened 5 years ago brought them closer to each other, more than ever. Yeah, they still bickered sometimes, but maturity made them so much more respectful to each other.

Ben was growing up to be a fine gentleman, and Gwen dropped her tomboy-ish demeanor to be the prim and lovely young lady she is right now.

Still, he could see the little feisty 10 year-old version of them sometimes and that made him grin. The love-hate relationship between them always held some subtle meaning to it all.

If he didn't know any better, they'd be perfect for each other.

_Fat chance of that ever happening…_ Max scoffed.

Still, seeing them this close right now, it was something heartening.

And he hoped nothing would ever make that change.

Never again.

**A/N: **_Okay, yet another chapter gotten through. What did you think of the little Max segment? It's about time someone else had the spotlight, no?_


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